Foot balancing device



July 30, 1963 E. 1.. CHERNIAK FOOT BALANCING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 6, 1961 INVENTOR. {Ear/l J'mr/zz'a/Z arr);

July 30, 1963 E. CHERNIAK 3,099,267

FOOT BALANCING DEVICE Filed July 6, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,099,267 FOOT BALANCING EEVEQE Earl L. Cherniak, 394 W. Broadway, South Boston, Mass. Filed .luiy 6, 1961, Ser. No. 122,181 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-615) This invention relates to shoes and more especially to a device for incorporation in a shoe to eifect balancing of the foot.

The normal function of the foot is to act as an organ of body support and propulsion. The greatest amount of the body weight is transmitted from the ankle bone (talus) to the heel bone (calcaneus). Part of this weight is transmitted laterally from the heel to the cuboid bone and from thence to the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones. The rest of the weight is transmitted medially from the head of the talus to the navicular bone and from thence to the three cuneiform bones and their corresponding metatarsal bones. These medial bones comprise the iongitudina-l arch. The anterior arch is formed by the heads of the metatarsal bone. This latter arch is, for the most part, obliterated when bearing the body weight and constitutes the major stabilizing factor of the human foot.

Foot balance depends on two factors; the intrinsic and the extrinsic. The extrinsic factor is comprised of the muscles and nerves ailecting the foot. For example, if a muscle problem is present in the leg, it will affect foot balance and it must be treated. correspondingly, nerve damage affects the balance and must be treated. The intrinsic factor is the balance within the foot and is retained by the disposition and dispersion of the body,

weight equally on the foot structure during motivation.

Shoe manufacturers, for the most part, have treated the foot as a static organ and consequently have directed their efforts chiefly to manufacturing a shoe designed to retain arch height when bearing the body weight. Unfortunately, these arches do not exist when bearing the weight of the body as they do at rest. Consequently, designs incorporated in shoes to raise, support and correct arches have been more injurious than beneficial. Each individual foot has its own normal arch height and it would only be by the exact measure of each arch in weight bearing position that correction by such means would be effective. The majority of the foot problems are however caused by improper foot balance rather than lack of support and, in such cases, arch supports are detrimental and only afford a crutch for the foot which tends to weaken the structure and thus aggravate the condition.

The foot, in fact, is kinetic in nature and it is the object of this invention to produce a device adapted to aid in maintaining the intrinsic foot balance regardless of the arch height and size of the foot. The foot, except when standing, is always in motion and a kinetic organ cannot be limited by static support.

As herein illustrated, the device comprises a pad disposed transversely of the shoe in a position to engage the bottom of the foot posteriorly of the metatarsal heads to bear the body weight before it is transmitted to the metatarsal heads. The element may be incorporated in the bottom structure of the shoe or it may be a pad attached internally to the insole or to the underside of a slip sole disposed in the shoe. The device may also include longitudinally disposed pads situated at opposite sides of the foot, posteriorly of the transverse pad, one of which extends from the transverse arch to along the inner side of the medial tuberosity of the inner calcaneus and the other of which commences between the posterior end of the fi-fth metatarsal and the cuboid and extends along the outer side of the medial tuberosity to about the outer calcaneus. The pads are of substantially uni- "Ice form thickness, for example in the order of A to 4 inch and may be rigid or yieldable.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bottom of the foot showing the ideal three-point distribution of the weight for static balance;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the bottom of a foot showing the areas which provide static balance, the most stable balance being at the heel and the least at the forepart;

FIG. 3 shows the skeletal bone structure at the bottom of the foot and the areas in which the devices which are provided for affording kinetic balance, according to this invention, are placed with reference thereto;

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the bottom of the foot with the areas for providing balance shown thereon;

FIG. 5 is an elevation diagrammatically showing the disposition and function of the transverse pad in supporting the foot in balance with the metatarsal heads lightly engaged with the shoe bottom, but not bearing the Weight of the body;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the top side of an insole or the bottom side of a slip sole with the balancing devices attached thereto;

FIG. 7 is an elevation of an edge of a slip sole showing the transverse and longitudinal pads attached thereto;

FIGS. 8 to 10 inclusive, show the top sides of insoles or the bottom sides of slip soles provided with various shaped pads embodying the same principles of balanced support; and

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the inner or outer surface of an outsole provided with transverse and longitudinal supports.

Referring to FIG. 1, the greatest amount of body weight is transmitted through the ankle bone (talus), perpendicularly with respect to the plane of the circular area a at the heel end to the heel bone (calcaneus). A portion of this weight is transmitted forwardly from the heel bone along the outside of the foot as represented by the arrow 10 to the cuboid bone 12 and from thence forwardly to the fourth and fifth metatarsal heads 14 and 16. The remainder is transmitted along the inside of the foot as represented by the arrow 13, from the head of the talus to the navicular bone, and from thence to the three cuneiform bones 20, 22 and 24 and their corresponding metatarsal bones 26, 28 and 30. The anterior arch is formed by the heads of the metatarsal bones 14, 16, 26, 23 and 30, the ends of which are situated at the inside and outside of the foot, forming supports at the areas marked 12 and 0 (FIG. 1), and forming with the area marked a, at the heel end, a three-point support for the foot. Under normal conditions the body Weight is disposed equally at the threepoints a, b and c. If this balance is imperfect and more weight is borne at one point or points, foot disorders develop, for example additional weight at the first metatarsal articulation causes pronation which, in turn, leads to muscle and bone deformation.

The most stable and least stable areas of the foot are indicated at 38 and 40 (FIG. 2) as posterior and anterior to the longitudinal arch, the latter being situated between the parallel lines aa and bb. The most stable area is at the heel and the least stable at the forepart. Foot stability must therefore be achieved primarily at the forepart to maintain the correct balance lost by too long or too short metatarsals, callouses, and the like. The foot in balance bears equal weight at the heel and the first and fifth metatarsal heads. If the foot pronates outwardly the weight is shifted to the first metatarsal head and the outer side of the heel and, conversely, if the foot pronates inwardly the weight is hif-ted to the fifth metatarsal head and the inner side of the heel. This shift 3 of weight results in unequal distribution and causes the growth of callouses and corns.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide for balancing the foot as distinct from correcting any deformity in the transverse arch in its unweighted condition by restoring balance, that is, equal distribution of weight, and this is effected by balancing the weight transversely of the metatarsal area and posteriorly of the metatarsal heads, supporting the longitudinal arch and stabilizing the heel. More specifically, a transverse support is provided which is designed to have contact with the underside of the foot, posteriorly of the metatarsal heads (FIG. 5), so that if one or more metatarsal bone is too long or too short, or is otherwise deformed, the balance of the foot will not be adversely affected by this deficiency since the weight will now be shifted rearward-ly, that is, posteriorly of the normal support provided by the metatarsal heads to the device herein shown to support the foot in transverse balance, independently of the metatarsal heads. The area which is supported posteriorly of the metatarsal heads is illustrated diagrammatically at 42 (FIG' 3), with reference to the skeletal structure of the foot in relation to the head or phalangeal articulated ends of the metatarsals.

To further enhance the balance posteriorly of the transverse support, longitudinal areas of support are provided as shown at 44 and 46 in FIG. 3, which extends rearwardly from the transverse support along the longitudinal arch at the inner side and along the inner calcaneus 44a and the inner side of the medial tuberosity a and from between the posterior end of the fifth metatarsal 16 and the cuboid 12 along the longitudinal arch at the outer side of the medial tuberosity to about the outer calcaneus 46a.

The same areas 42, 44 and 46 are indicated in FIG. 4 with reference to the bottom of the foot and provide support transversely of the foot and longitudinally of the foot, posteriorly of the metatarsal heads which distributes the weight equally.

In the preferred form of the invention, the balancing supports are attached to the underside of a sock lining 48 (FIG. 7) and comprise a transverse pad 50 and inner and outer longitudinal pads 52 and 54. The pad 50, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, is disposed transversely, is substantially elliptical, and the anterior side substantially parallels the locus x-x of point passing through the centers of the metatarsal heads. The inner and outer pads 52 and 54 are shaped to conform to the longitudinal curvature of the heel, the former extending from. the transverse arch wearwardly to the inner calcaneus 44a and the latter from the cuboid 12 rearwardly to the outer calcaneus 4611, both terminating at about the midportion of the medial tuberosity of the calcaneus represented by the area marked a (FIG. 1). This is the area of the heel which has contact with the bottom of the shoe upon which the foot is balanced. The outer pad may extend forwardly as far as the fourth and fifth metatarsal heads. Each pad tapers as it extends rearwardly. The pads function somewhat like shims at opposite sides of the medial tuberosity, preventing tipping of the foot at either side thereof.

The shapes of the pads may be varied considerably without departing from their primary function of supporting the foot in balance as shown by way of example in FIGS. 8 to 10 inclusive. In all cases the function is 4 to lift the weight of the foot off of the metatarsal heads so that the weight is balanced on the pads independently of the structural deformation of the skeletal foot and/ or imbalance produced by callouses and the like on the bottom of the foot.

The pads 56, 52 and 54 are preferably of uniform thickness about A and inch and may be comprised of rubber, felt, cardboard, pulp products, leather and the like.

A substantial amount of balance may be obtained Without the longitudinal pad and accordingly these may be omitted.

instead of placing the pads on the slip sole they may be fastened to the insole.

It is further contemplated that the balancing device may be incorporated in the bottom structure of the shoe. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the outsole 55 may have on its inner or outer surface raised portions 58, 6t) and 62. These raised portions may be added to the surface of the outsole or formed by molding the o-utsole in this shape, for example, in the making of rubber shoes. The foot rests primarily on the elements 58, 60 and 62 and is thus held in balance.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents falling within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

For providing three-point foot balancing, means comprising a foot support having three pads on one surface thereof, said pads comprising a transversely elongate, uniformly fiat member having a transversely curved anterior side, corresponding substantially in contour to the anterior arch, positioned on the support posteriorly of the metatarsal heads so as to bear the body weight uniformly before it is transmitted to the metatarsal heads, and longitudinally disposed, uniformly fiat members positioned on the support at opposite sides of the calcaneus and posteriorly of said transversely disposed member, the inwardly located of said longitudinally disposed members extending from adjacent the rear side of the transversely disposed member along the longitudinal arch at the inner side of the foot to and along the inner side of the area of the medial tuberosity of the calcaneus and the outwvardly located of said longitudinally disposed members being disposed along the longitudinal arch at the outer side of the foot at a point between the fifth metatarsal head and the cuboid and extending posteriorly along the longitudinal arch at the outer side of the medial tuberosity to about the outer calcaneus, all of said pads being of substantially equal thickness.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,557,312 Lelyveld Oct. 13, 1925 2,081,474 Burns May 25, 1937 2,188,225 Lawandus Jan. 23, 1940 2,221,202 Ratcliff Nov. 12, 1940 2,353,829 Jakosky July 18, 1944 2,439,545 Matlas Apr. 13, 1948 2,863,231 Jones Dec. 9, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 680,698 Germany Sept. 6, 1939 

